Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 135 /Wednesday, July 15, 1998 / Notices 38189

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services

Administration

Statement of Organization, Functions

and Delegations of Authority

This notice amends Part R of the

Statement of Organization Functions

and Delegations of Authority of the

Department of Health and Human

Services (DHHS), Health Resources and

Services Administration (60 FR 56605

as amended November 6, 1995, as last

amended at 63 FR 35938–39 dated July

1, 1998). This notice reflects the

establishment of the Health Resources

and Services Administration (HRSA)

Office for the Advancement of

Telehealth (RAB).

Establish The Office for the

Advancement of Telehealth (RAB) in

the Office of the Administrator to read

as follows:

Telehealth is the use of electronic

communications and information

technologies to provide and support

health care services and training when

distance separates the participants. The

Office for the Advancement of

Telehealth (OAT) serves as the focal

point within the Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA) for

coordinating and advancing the use of

electronic communications and

information (telehealth) technologies.

Telehealth technologies can be used in

a broad array of applications, including,

but not limited to, the provision of:

health care at a distance (telemedicine);

technical assistance to grantees using

electronic media; distance-based

learning to improve the knowledge of

HRSA staff, grantees, and others; and

improved information dissemination to

both consumers and providers about the

latest developments in health care, and

other activities designed to improve the

health status of the nation. The Office

for the Advancement of Telehealth

carries out the following functions.

Specifically: provides leadership within

HRSA in developing and coordinating

telehealth programs and policies and in

facilitating the electronic dissemination

of best practices in health care to health

professionals and others; (2) provides

technical assistance and support to

HRSA components and others as they

develop telehealth initiatives; (3)

produces, and provides technical

support and training to HRSA

components in the production and

planning of health-related media; (4)

administers grant programs to

promulgate and evaluate the use of

appropriate telehealth technologies

among HRSA grantees and others; (5)

assesses new and existing telehealth

technologies and advises the HRSA

Administrator on strategies to maximize

the potential of these technologies for

meeting HRSA’s educational, technical

assistance and other objectives; (6)

provides a resource center for the

dissemination of the latest information

and research findings related to the use

of telehealth technologies in HRSA

programs and underserved areas,

including findings on ‘‘best practices’’;

(7) staffs the Joint Working Group on

Telemedicine; (8) works with other

components of the Department, with

other Federal and state agencies, and

with the private sector to promote and

overcome barriers to cost-effective

telehealth programs; and (9) advises the

Administrator and the Department on

telehealth policy.

Delegations of Authority. All

delegations and redelegations of

authority which were in effect

immediately prior to the effective date

hereof have been continued in effect in

them or their successors pending further

redelegation.

This reorganization is effective upon

date of signature.

Dated: July 7, 1998.

Claude Earl Fox,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98–18753 Filed 7–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–U

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under Emergency Review by

the Office of Management and Budget

The Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA) has submitted the following

request (see below) for emergency OMB

review under the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). OMB

approval has been requested by July 30,

1998. A copy of the information

collection plans may be obtained by

calling the SAMHSA Reports Clearance

Officer on (301)443–7978.

Title: CAPI/ACASI Pretest of 1999

National Household Survey on Drug

Abuse (NHSDA).

OMB Number: 0930-New.

Frequency: Single time.

Affected public: Individuals or

households.

SAMHSA will conduct a field pretest

and cognitive laboratory testing of the

proposed 1999 NHSDA questionnaire

from August 1–31, 1998. Household

screening will be conducted

electronically, using a hand-held

computer. The interview will be

conducted using a laptop computer.

Sections of the questionnaire currently

administered on paper by an

interviewer will be Computer-Assisted

Personal Interview (CAPI) and those

sections which are currently selfadministered by respondents on paper

will be Audio Computer-Assisted Self

Interview (ACASI). The national

implementation of fully automated data

collection in the NHSDA was originally

planned for the year 2000. In early June,

the Department of Health and Human

Services made the decision to include in

the 1999 NHSDA an expanded tobacco

module to be conducted using ACASI.

SAMHSA has determined that using the

computer-assisted methodology for only

one portion of the interview could be

problematic. Therefore, the entire 1999

NHSDA interview will be conducted

using this methodology, and will be

pretested in a field sample and in a

cognitive laboratory. Approximately 150

field interviews and 150 laboratory

interviews will be conducted with

persons age 12 and older. The estimated

response burden for the field test is

shown below:

No. of respondentsResponses/

respondent

Hours per

response

Response

burden

Electronic household screener ......................................................................................... 836 1 0.05 41.8

Electronic household questionnaire:

Respondents age 12–17 ........................................................................................... 75 1 1.20 90.0

Respondents age 18+ 75 1 1.20 90.0

Screening verification 25 1 .067 1.7

Interview verification ......................................................................................................... 23 1 .067 1.5